


On Thin Fucking Ice

by Planteria



Series: Bites of the Silver Sandwich [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Disaster Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Suki (Avatar), Bisexual Toph Beifong, Brief homophobia, Everyone Is Gay, F/M, Fluff, Gay Zuko (Avatar), High School, Hockey, I just want these kids to have fun, Ice Skating, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Lesbian Toph Beifong, Light Angst, M/M, Pansexual Aang (Avatar), Rated teen for language, Sapphic Toph (Avatar), Sokka and Zuko are best friends, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Zuko (Avatar) is an Idiot, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, brief sexism, depends on how you want to read her, except katara but we still stan her, no one asked for this but here it is, obviously, the gaang get to be kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:42:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25833709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Planteria/pseuds/Planteria
Summary: Sokka plays goalie for the high school hockey team. It's the last game of the year before Christmas Break, group therapy is off for the holidays, and the Gaang decides to go watch him and go ice skating afterwards.The only problem is that Zuko can't ice skate and Sokka is dating Suki.[Or the one in which the Gaang goes ice skating and it becomes very obvious that Sokka and Zuko have mutual crushes on each other. Part of a series, but you don't need to read the other parts to get the story.]
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Bites of the Silver Sandwich [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812274
Comments: 35
Kudos: 416





	On Thin Fucking Ice

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back. Here's the third installment of whatever this is. As mentioned in both previous parts, there are links throughout this. They shouldn't be viruses, just memes or pictures to explain what I'm talking about.  
> CW: There is a homophobic slur alluded to in this fic. There is also some brief sexism and homophobia from a minor OC.

The ice rink was significantly colder than Zuko anticipated. He thought it would be a bit chilly, but he was actually  _ cold _ sitting in the stands. None of his friends looked cold, but they also were smart enough to wear actual sweatshirts there instead of just a long-sleeved shirt. Okay, it wasn’t that he didn’t  _ bring _ a sweatshirt with him, he was just saving it for later. It was colder outside than it was in the arena; so if he put it on now, he’d be just as cold later as he was right then. At least, that’s how  _ he _ thought it worked. Toph had her actual winter jacket on still, so maybe it would be okay. 

“Sorry I’m late.” He looked over and met the eyes of a girl with an  [ auburn bob, ](https://youtu.be/aU3787NR-do?t=32) red lipstick, and a  [ green State hoodie. ](https://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productimages/_2511000/altimages/ff_2511395alt1_full.jpg&w=900) It was Sokka’s girlfriend—damn, what was her name? At this point, he should know it, considering that he had actually hung out with her on a number of occasions. He gave her a half smile, scooching over to make room for her to sit. 

“It’s okay, Suki,” Katara said, leaning forward to look around Zuko and Toph. “The game hasn’t started yet. We just said to come early so we could get good seats.” Suki sat. 

“Oh, good.” She looked forward at the empty ice rink for a moment. “It’s nice to see you all again,” she said with a smile. “But I don’t think we’ve met yet.” She held her hand out towards Toph, leaning around Zuko. “I’m Suki, Sokka’s girlfriend.” Toph didn’t react, still facing forward. Suki’s face fell and she dropped her hand. 

“Toph,” Aang muttered, nudging her with his shoulder. 

“Huh?” Toph sat up a bit straighter. 

“She was talking to you,” he whispered to her. Looking back over at a wildly confused Suki, Zuko flashed her an awkward smile. 

“Shit, I’m sorry.” She turned her towards Aang and Katara. “I didn’t realize you were walking to me.” Gently, Aang grabbed Toph’s shoulders and turned her towards Zuko and Suki. Suki glanced over at him for a moment before shifting her gaze to Toph. “ [ As you can see, I am blind and these three imbeciles are of no help to me.” ](https://youtu.be/Z0C64SYm7ZU?t=54)

“Oh, no. no, no, it’s okay. I didn’t realize you were blind otherwise I would’ve gotten your attention first,” Suki said quickly. Toph just laughed. 

“I’m glad we’re both dumbasses. Nice to meet you, Suki.” 

She held out her hand in front of Zuko. Taking it, Suki replied, “Nice to meet you as well.” Her voice strained a bit as Toph visibly crushed her hand. The five of them sat in silence for a moment, Katara and Aang holding hands and whispering to each other, Toph swinging her feet. Finally, Suki leaned over and whispered in Zuko’s ear, “Why is she here if she can’t see?” 

Zuko shrugged. “She likes to hang out with us and I think she’s coming ice skating with us after,” he whispered back.

Suki’s eyebrows furrowed a bit. “She’s coming ice skating with us? To  [ Rosa Parks ](https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/Government/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Rosa-Parks-Circle-Ice-Rink) ? Which is crowded on a good day?” He shrugged again, this time elbowing Toph. 

“Do you think you’re actually going to ice skate or are you just going to hang out?” 

Toph blew air between her teeth. “Pfft, no I’m not ice skating. Ice is the bane of my existence. Especially with weird ass shoes on your feet!” Suki looked more confused then than she did before her question was answered. Zuko just gave her a shrug. 

* * *

Maybe hanging out with your crush’s sister and girlfriend while he looks incredibly attractive isn’t the best. Zuko learned this the hard way. They were sitting almost up against the glass, close to the center of the rink, but he could still see the sweat glisten from Sokka’s forehead. He could see the muscles of his arms from under his padding and jersey. Under his helmet, strands of hair fell into Sokka’s face. And all Zuko could do was stare at him. 

An elbow met his ribcage about halfway through the game. Flinching, Zuko looked over at Toph, who just grinned slightly. “Can you take me to go get water? I’m thirsty.” 

“Uh… sure,” he said, standing up. She stood as well, grabbing his arm and together they squeezed past Suki and the glass and made their way up the stairs. Once they reached the top, Toph stopped him. 

“What the fuck is up?” He just blinked at her. “I could feel your heart beat through the bench so spill. Don’t be shy. You can tell ol’ Toph. I’m all ears.” He sighed. 

“I still sort of have a crush on Sokka,” he admitted quietly, which felt weird to say aloud. 

“Really? It’s been like two months!” He shushed her. 

“I don’t want everyone in the whole damn place to know.” 

“Does Sokka know?” she asked seriously, her voice a bit quieter than it had been before.

“No! Of course not,” he yelled in a whisper. “He  _ has a girlfriend.” _

“Yeah, like that’s ever  [ stopped anyone.” ](https://youtu.be/mhrX92fvOMQ?t=44) He leaned away from her a bit. His brain reeled from the comment, completely unsure what she was getting at. Sokka wouldn’t cheat on Suki, he knew that for sure. He certainly wouldn’t cheat on her with  _ him _ of all people. They were best friends and Sokka wasn’t interested in him  _ romantically. _

Right? 

Instead of letting him answer, Toph grabbed his arm again, pulling him towards the drinking fountains and saying, “I think you should just talk to him about it.” 

* * *

Sokka met them in the lobby after the game in gray joggers, a Bumi sweatshirt, and black crocs. It was less than a week before Christmas and Sokka was in  [ _ fucking crocs _ . ](https://memecrunch.com/meme/BFDGI/crocs/image.png?w=400&c=1) Sweat still clung to his forehead and his face was tinted red. Zuko wanted to kiss that beautiful idiot, but resigned himself to just watching him happily hug his girlfriend. 

As he pulled back from the hug, Sokka just stared giddily at her. “I’m so glad you came!” he said with a wide grin. “I think my dad and gran are somewhere around here if you want to meet them.” 

With that, he looked up to search for them and made direct eye contact with Zuko. “Zuko!” Suddenly, Sokka was hugging him, nearly knocking Zuko on his ass. “I didn’t know you came! I saw Katara and Aang and Suki at half time, but I didn’t see you and thought you didn’t come.” Zuko’s brain was really  [ struggle bussing ](https://pics.onsizzle.com/struggle-busl-today-i-am-not-a-passenger-of-the-24809053.png) when it came to processing information. Maybe he needed to sleep more. Or maybe it was how Sokka was holding his forearms and staring him right in the eyes. There was a stupid grin on Sokka’s face and Zuko really wished he could wipe it off his face… with his face… as cringey as it sounded. With that thought, Zuko could feel his face flushing. 

“Sparky took me to get water at half time,” Toph interjected before Zuko could really get his thoughts around to respond. Sokka dropped his grip on Zuko’s arms and wrapped an arm around Suki’s shoulders. Zuko almost felt jealous. 

There was a loud SMACK and Sokka flinced. Laughter filled the air. Sokka spun on his heels. “Fuck off, Ratsin,” he grumbled, hastily flipping him off. “My grandma’s here.” Zuko exchanged a glance with Katara who didn’t look remotely phased. So he shifted it over to Suki, who looked as confused and concerned as he felt. There was another SMACK from Sokka  [ spanking the perpetrator. ](https://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/001/213/839/c8f.jpg) A second boy pulled Sokka into a headlock, earning him a prompt elbow to the ribs. 

Suki took a step towards Zuko and Toph as the three boys tussled. “What is happening?” Toph asked. “My shoes are on and I can’t see.” Suki’s face crinkled a bit at the statement. 

“Sokka is… uh…” Zuko wasn’t sure how to describe what he was witnessing. 

“Some of Sokka’s hockey teammates are here and they’re all messing around,” Suki helped. Toph huffed and pulled at Zuko’s sleeve. 

As he leaned towards her, she whispered, “Do you think they all have closed-head injuries and that’s why Sokka’s such a dumbass?” Zuko rolled his eyes and gently kicked her foot, communicating that he wasn’t ignoring her but he wasn’t going to respond. 

“Hey! I can hear you still Toph!” Sokka shouted, holding a third boy that Zuko didn’t recognize in a headlock. He wasn’t sure where they were all coming from, but Sokka seemed to lose brain cells around them. 

“Good! You should know you’re a dumbass!” Toph said loud enough for everyone in the immediate vicinity to hear. The three strangers laughed and Sokka turned red. He shoved one that went to ruffle his hair that was in a hasty ponytail. 

“Are you going to take that from a  _ girl, _ Sokka?” the one that originally smacked Sokka on the ass asked. 

“He knows I can kick his ass any time, anywhere,” Toph retorted. 

“That a challenge?” he asked, squaring his shoulders and taking a step towards her. Sokka grabbed him by the shoulder. 

“Ratsin, don’t,” Sokka said in the most serious tone Zuko had ever heard from him. Toph didn’t help, instead cracked her knuckles. 

“Maybe it is.” Ratsin, whoever he thought he was, went to get in Toph’s face. Instinctively, Zuko stepped between them. 

“Oh, you’re gonna fight me too,” Ratsin said as if it was fact. He was just a few inches shorter than Zuko and had to tilt his chin to meet his eyes. 

“No,” he said, not sure where this was going. Before his brain thought it through, his mouth was saying, “But I will if I have to.” The other teen had the audacity to laugh in his face. 

“I’m not afraid to fight a little girl and a fucking fa—” Ratsin was on the floor and Zuko was staring at the back of Sokka’s head. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Sokka almost shouted. People were staring. The other two teens were standing off to the side, looking unsure of what to do. 

“What’s wrong with  _ you?” _ Ratsin shot back. 

“What’s happening here?” It came from a woman that Zuko didn’t recognize. She had the same complexion as Sokka, nearly the same haircut too, just her hair was bleach blonde and gelled back. Sokka tensed. 

“Nothing, Coach,” Ratsin said, getting up from the floor to face her. 

“Ratsin, if I hear about you getting into another fight you’re done. You know this. I  _ will _ kick you off this team,” she promised. Her gaze shifted over to Sokka. “And you. You know that I don’t allow you to fight on the ice, Sokka, and that rule still applies everywhere else.” Sokka audibly gulped and nodded. With that, she pursed her lips, patted his shoulder, and walked away. 

Ratsin turned and glared at Sokka before leaving as well. Part of Zuko felt bad that he might have just cost Sokka a friend. The other part of him figured that he might have not been a friend Sokka wanted to keep anyway. Suki grabbed Sokka’s hand and squeezed. Jealousy flared up in Zuko’s stomach, making him turn his gaze over to Sokka’s other two teammates. They were staring over at him and Toph curiously. It occurred to him that they were only used to seeing one version of Sokka and were trying to figure out the people who brought out a different side to him. They may have also been trying to figure out how Sokka knew a blind girl and a guy with a scar running down his face and neck. Obviously, Sokka’s two friend groups were composed of very different people.

“You should have just let me get one punch in,” Toph mumbled, sensing the tension. 

“Toph, he was nearly a foot taller than you,” Zuko said. “I wasn’t going to let that—” 

“I don’t need defending,” Toph argued. 

Zuko ran a hand over his good eye. “Toph, you’re literally blind and  [ five-foot zero.” ](https://whatisconvert.com/5-feet-in-meters)

Toph looked confused for a moment. “Are you calling me short?” It hadn’t occurred to him that maybe Toph didn’t know how tall she was. But Zuko didn’t get a chance to respond to that. There was a hand gripping his left shoulder and he froze. 

“Hi, Dad,” Sokka said somewhere to his right. Zuko turned to face the owner of the hand, Indeed, it was Hakoda. Zuko gave him a quick smile, before helping Toph step out of the way. “This is Suki! Suki, this is my dad and Gran Gran.” He sounded as excited as he looked, like a polar puppy seeing snow for the first time. Suki held out a hand and shook with Hakoda. His grandma simply kept her hand to her chest, refusing a handshake with a smile. Zuko wasn’t sure if she meant it as rude or if she just didn’t like hand shakes. 

Laughing slightly, Hakoda looked over at Zuko and joked, “You weren’t kidding, were you?” Zuko gave him a hesitant smile and a polite laugh, not sure what he was referencing. Sokka looked between his dad and him, trying to figure out the context of the conversation. Zuko just gave him a look that he hoped pleaded, Please Save Me From This Interaction. Thankfully, Katara seemed to get the message a lot faster than her brother. 

“Hey, Dad,” she said, leaving Aang’s side and walking over to grab her father’s arm. “Did you bring my ice skates for me?” Over her shoulder, she gave Zuko a quick wink and dragged her dad out towards the car. He would have sighed in relief had Sokka’s grandmother not still been there. 

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Suki said to her with a smile, probably feeling about as awkward as Zuko had when he had met them all. 

“Call me Gran Gran,” she responded, keeping her hands in her pockets. 

“Sokka’s grandma is here?” Toph suddenly shouted from behind Zuko. Before anyone could respond, she pushed past them and held her hand out. “I’m Toph!” 

Gran Gran just looked her over with a smile. “Aren’t you spirited?” 

“That’s one way to put it,” she grinned back, her hand still extended. After a moment, she said, “I’m also blind.” To apparently everyone’s surprise, Gran Gran bursted out laughing and gently lowered Toph’s hand. 

“Oh, I’ve been told about you. You and I would have been good friends when I was younger.” She patted Toph’s shoulder with the final statement. Zuko supposed that Toph just had a natural ability to charm every single person over fifty. He wasn’t sure if she was exactly using it for good, considering the shit-eating grin that was plastered on her face.

* * *

“Okay, so I don’t have enough room in Curvy for all of us to ride together,” Sokka began, sounding like he had some big plan.

“I can just drive separate, Sokka,” Suki offered. Sokka’s face sunk momentarily. 

“Or…” he said, holding out the vowel. “Somebody can just ride in my trunk and keep their head down so the cops don’t see.”

“I’ll do it,” Aang offered, seeming a little  _ too  _ willing. Katara shot him a look. 

“No, it’s okay, Aang,” Suki insisted. “Sokka, it’ll be too far out of your way to drive me back here. Just let me drive separate.” 

“If you drive separate, can I ride with you?” Toph asked. The group just stared at her, none of them seeming to know what to say to that. “Guys, you need to stop being so quiet because I can’t see you and I don’t know what’s going on.” 

Aang shifted his feet. “I think everyone is just wondering why you want to ride with Suki?” 

Toph smiled smugly. “Sokka has an awful taste in music and none of the rest of you seem to realize that. Plus, as Sokka’s best friend and as your resident sapphic, I think I have a right to see if his taste in women is better.” There was laughter for a moment, until they all seemed to catch on to part of her statement that was  _ very _ new information. Zuko wasn’t upset that she claimed to be Sokka’s best friend. He just wasn’t aware that she was gay. In retrospect, he guessed it made sense. 

“Toph,” Katara began, “you’re into girls?” It was gentle, just curious. 

“Did I stutter?” Toph quipped. It prompted a chuckle from everyone, but Sokka. He smiled, shooting a nervous glance over at Zuko.

And that’s how they ended up all in Sokka’s car. Suki didn’t want to hang out alone with her boyfriend’s aggressively gay friend who she’d only met an hour previous. Zuko could understand that. Hanging out with new people in general was nerve-wracking for him so he couldn’t blame Suki. What he could blame her for was that he ended up riding in the trunk of Sokka’s car for the second time in his life, discovering the two sweatshirts they wore two months previous. 

Holding one up, he shouted, “Sokka, did you ever wash these things?” Sokka glanced up at him through the rearview. He returned his wide eyes to the road. Katara hit him on the shoulder from the back seat. 

“Sokka, that is so gross!” 

“I just forgot about them, okay?” 

“Yeah, you need to clean out your car,” Suki agreed. Zuko could see Sokka’s shoulders tense. Katara made some other comment and Sokka shot back, seeming to relax slightly. Part of Zuko wished that he hadn’t offered to sit in the back so that Katara would stop arguing with Aang over it. He knew they all meant well, he just wanted to be closer to Sokka…  [ for purely platonic reasons. ](https://pm1.narvii.com/7142/14b1368e68d5bd66a0a745ccaba78b776e2e55f4r1-661-881v2_hq.jpg) Because he was deeply and platonically in love with his best friend in a friend way. The friendliest of friend ways.

Telling himself that repeatedly didn’t seem to make it true. 

He desperately wanted Sokka to like him romantically as well. He envied Suki, sitting in the front seat, holding Sokka’s hand when he could get away with only one on the wheel. She made him laugh and smile. As much as they melted Zuko’s insides, he wanted to be the only one to cause them. He also recognized he was being a jealous and envious little brat. Sokka was his own person, who could love other people than Zuko. Plus, Sokka had actually told him that he only liked him as a friend. There really was no chance that they could feasibly end up together. 

An elbow made contact with his eyebrow. “Oh! There you are, Sparky!” Toph said at the same time he let out a pained expletive. 

“I only have one good eye, Toph,” he grumbled. 

“Oh no, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine only having one good eye,” she deadpanned back. Zuko just groaned. 

“Sorry, I forgot you’re blind,” he said, looking at the back of her head. 

“Sorry, I forgot you’re half blind,” she retorted, laughing at herself. Reaching over the seat, he shoved her head gently, messing up her bun and causing her to laugh harder. After a moment, she found the voice to speak. “I was just thinking that we really would’ve fucked that guy up had Sokka not stopped us.” Sokka made eye contact with Zuko through the rearview mirror. Zuko gave him a shrug. 

“I don’t know, Toph. Fighting is, like, a thing in hockey. Do you even know how to fight?” A seatbelt clicked. 

“Do  _ I _ know how to fight?” Toph nearly yelled, turning around fully in her seat. “Who the  _ fuck _ do you think I am?” The car jerked to a stop. Katara was scolding her about something related to the seatbelt. Aang was trying to get her to calm down, or maybe keep her from physically buckling Toph back in. Sokka was trying to get people to just get out of the car. Suki looked uncomfortable. Zuko couldn’t imagine hanging out with your boyfriend’s friends all together for the first time, just for this shit to happen. Toph was just cackling. She was an  [ agent of chaos ](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6pJrocXKvek/hqdefault.jpg) at times. 

Through all the noise, one voice interrupted. “Toph, I think you could kick Ratsin’s ass all by yourself.” It was Suki. There was quiet. The grin on Toph’s face widened.

“Suki, you’re a permanent part of the group! We’re keeping you even if you break up with Sokka,” Toph proclaimed. 

“Why do you think she’d break up with me and I won’t break up with her?” Suki gave Sokka a look. “What? I’m just asking why she phrased—”

“Because you say stupid shit like that, Sokka,” Toph snorted. Laughter filled the car. Tension returned to Sokka’s shoulders, despite the smile on his face.

* * *

Over an hour later, they had finally made it inside to get their skates on. To say that Zuko was nervous, was an understatement. He was nearly anxious. He’d never been ice skating before and had agreed to come because it was important to Sokka. Uncle was right, maybe he did need to think things through better. The floor had a weird padding on it—probably to make walking in skates easier—but he still felt like he would roll an ankle if he even stood up.

Aang gave him a nudge. “Have you ever ice skated before?” His face was uncharacteristically serious, almost nervous. Katara had gone off to help Toph find a bathroom, while Sokka was trying to pay for Suki’s rental skates. He was  _ trying _ because Suki was very insistent that she could pay for them herself.

Zuko  [ shook his head, ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/11/cf/e6/11cfe628088568eefe24bd2679b33dd1.jpg) partially to say no, partially to refocus his attention on Aang. “No, I’m mostly here because Sokka wanted me to come.”

“Oh, good! I’ve never skated before either, but Katara wanted to teach me,” Aang said, clearly relieved. “I was a little worried that everyone from Michigan just sort of knows how to skate because of all the lakes and stuff and that I’d be the only one falling over.” Zuko snorted a bit. 

“Yeah, I haven’t been skating since I was a kid, so don’t worry.” Aang seemed to visibly relax as Katara and Toph made their way back over. 

“Twinkle toes, I can’t believe that you’ve actually put those things on your feet,” Toph stated, sitting on the other side of Zuko. 

“You mean the ice skates?” Aang asked. 

“Yes! You guys are paying to walk around on ice while trying to balance on a knife! It’s so weird!” A few strangers glanced over at her.

“It’s a lot of fun, Toph,” Katara said. “We could teach you if you wanted to try.” 

“What part of that led you to believe I wanted to try it?” Zuko and Aang both chuckled at that. 

“What’d we miss?” Suki asked, as she and Sokka sat down across from them. 

“Suki, are you going ice skating?” 

“Yes,” she said as a question. 

Toph huffed, “You  [ sighted bitches ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTokCringe/comments/fwv83t/whatever_sighted_bitches/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x) are fucking dumb.”

“Toph! There are children here,” Katara hissed, too far away from her to whack her on the shoulder. 

[ “Fuck them kids,” ](https://i.vgy.me/qAvq8j.jpg) Suki deadpanned. Katara looked as if she was about to pop a blood vessel. Toph looked like she was about to pop from unadulterated joy. The rest of them exploded with laughter. 

“Where are you?” Toph asked, jumping to her feet. “I want to kiss you.” 

“You can’t kiss my girlfriend, Toph!” Sokka argued.

“I think I should be allowed to kiss  _ my _ new best friend, Sokka!” Toph retorted. 

“I thought  _ I _ was your best friend,” Sokka said, sounding almost a bit hurt. 

“Firstly, I said that  _ I _ was  _ your _ best friend, which is still true. Suki is  _ my _ best friend. Secondly, kissing can be platonic, Sokka.” 

“Yeah, Sokka,” Suki joked, as she reached out and grabbed Toph’s hand. Grinning, Toph was able to find Suki’s face and plant a kiss on her cheek. Sokka made eye contact with Zuko, mouth slightly agape. 

“Did I just get fucking cheated on?” he loudly whispered. 

“Sokka!” Katara chided, picking up her discarded tennis shoe. “There are still children here!” She punctuated it by tossing the shoe into his face, hitting him on the temple. Catching it, Sokka threw it back, hitting his sister in the face. Katara let out a surprised, “Ow!” as Sokka decided to speak up. 

“I don’t think kids care about people cursing, Katara,” he grumbled. 

“Their parents might!” she retorted, rubbing her nose. Aang bit back a smile and readjusted his beanie for the nth time that night. 

“Don’t be such a stick in the mud, Katara,” Toph said, sitting back down. 

“I’m not a stick in the mud! I can be a lot of fun!” she argued. She took her gloves off and put them on her head. “See! Fun!” Aang put a hand on her shoulder. 

“Sweetie,” he started. Sokka rolled his eyes. “You try, but—” 

“Are you saying I’m not fun?” 

“No, no! I was going to say that you’re just very responsible and mature. As a compliment!” Katara huffed and folded her arms. Aang looked desperately over at Zuko and Sokka. The former gave him a shrug. The latter just laughed. 

* * *

Ice was slipperier than Zuko remembered. Skating was also a lot harder than he remembered too. That was to say, it wasn’t going well. 

“You alright, bud?” Sokka laughed, offering him a hand. 

Zuko scoffed. “Yes, but I’m probably bruised.” He accepted his hand, allowing Sokka to help pull him up.

“You didn’t fall that hard, did you?” Sokka asked, not letting go of his hand, despite the fact that Zuko was back on his feet. Their noses were practically touching. Zuko could feel Sokka’s warm breath on his cheek. 

“I just bruise easy,” Zuko muttered back. Sokka let out a chuckle, dropping Zuko’s hand and moving away slightly. Wordlessly, he rolled up his sleeves on one arm, revealing a plethora of yellow and black bruises. 

“Me too; hockey makes me look like a damn hyena-cheetah.” As Sokka rolled his sleeves back down into place, their ephemeral moment passed. 

“Guys,” Aang exclaimed, wobbly making his way over to them. “I think I’m getting better!” Just as he said that, one of his feet came out from under him and he fell into Sokka’s arms. Just like with Zuko, Sokka continued holding Aang for a while before letting go. Right. Sokka was just platonically touchy. He held Aang up by the shoulders, laughed at him just the same. He may be bi, but he certainly wasn’t into Zuko. Something settled at the pit of his stomach. Was he really sad that his best friend didn’t like him romantically? He still got to have him in his life. They still hung out. He shouldn’t be upset about this. 

“Where is everyone?” Toph yelled from her seat on  [ the stage. ](http://www.qrpartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Rosa-Parks-Circle_01-960x631.jpg) She didn’t sound scared, just annoyed. As much as Zuko didn’t want to leave his safe spot on the railing and risk falling again, he didn’t want Toph to feel alone. “You know I can’t see you!” Strangers stopped and began looking around, trying to determine who the assholes were that abandoned a blind girl. Sokka let go of Aang and skillfully skated over to Toph.

Zuko sighed, feeling his face flush a bit as he made his way over to her. He felt like a newborn cat-deer learning to walk. Why was walking on ice easier than skating? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Thankfully, he was only about twenty feet away. Unthankfully, he couldn’t keep himself up without holding onto the railing. Also unthankfully, there was also a family with a toddler having a meltdown. He felt stupid. “Excuse me, can I scooch past you real quick?” he mumbled, hoping they’d let go momentarily for him to get through, despite their child screaming and flailing. Instead, they just scoffed at him and continued trying to get their child to stop crying. He guessed that he should have expected that. 

Sighing again, he pushed himself off of the railing. Sokka had already gotten over to Toph. Aang had just waited for Katara to come and grab his arm and help him over. Suki was nowhere to be seen, which was fine because Zuko was fairly certain she could break his femur without breaking a sweat. So he was alone, having to keep himself upright for just a few seconds. Zuko really hoped that his push would give him enough momentum to get around the family and back to the railing; however, given his luck, that is not what happened. He only made it halfway around the group when he slowed down almost to a stop. So he moved one foot, trying to push himself forward and couldn’t get the foot back under him. He was going to fall and he was going to cry about it.

There were hands on his upper arms. 

“Dude, you’re so clumsy,” Sokka laughed. 

“Sorry, I haven’t been skating since I was five,” Zuko grumbled, feeling himself blush… again. He was glad that he didn’t fall on his ass again—it was getting sore and he didn’t need any more embarrassment—but maybe he didn’t want Sokka in his personal space that very moment. Part of him wanted to start getting over his crush, just be a normal friend, stop feeling so awkward. Part of him was also ecstatic to have Sokka touching him. 

“I was four, actually,” Sokka said with a grin, still holding him even though he was stable. Zuko rolled his eyes. 

“Sorry, my bad,” he said sarcastically, earning a laugh from the both of them. Zuko decided to take that moment to try to gently pull his arms out of Sokka’s grip. Sokka refused to let go, causing Zuko to look him in the eyes.  _ Shit, this shouldn’t feel this homoerotic.  _

“I’m not going to let you fall again,” Sokka said at a slightly lower volume. Zuko’s heart nearly stopped in his chest. 

“O-okay,” he stuttered, trying to remember how to breathe. His mind was hyper focused on those ocean blue eyes that shone when they caught the light, those strong fingers slightly digging into his muscle. Had the context been different, had they not been standing in busy downtown, had Sokka not been dating someone, Zuko would have kissed him. Instead, he dropped his eyes to their feet, biting his lip. Part of him wished he could just explode rather than endure this any further. 

Instead, Sokka let go of his right arm, spinning a bit so that he was on Zuko’s left. “C’mon!” he said with a smile, pulling Zuko along. He allowed it, feeling awkward since he was doing absolutely nothing. Sokka must have seen it in his face because he stopped about halfway there and said, “Dude, do you not know how to ice skate?” 

He shook his head. “Not in the slightest. My mom took my sister and I a few times as kids, but my father made her stop because he thought it was a waste of time.” 

“Why does your dad get worse in every story you tell about him?” Sokka asked rhetorically. Facing back towards their friends and not waiting for a response, he continued. “Okay, so basically it’s like walking, just keep your feet a bit farther apart and bend your knees.” 

“Thanks, I couldn’t figure that out myself,” Zuko said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Sokka laughed and shoved Zuko with his shoulder. With a legitimate smile, Zuko jokingly flipped Sokka off, who laughed harder and slapped his hand. 

“Why are Sokka and Zuko the only ones not here?” Toph basically shouted from her chair. Aang looked around for them, making eye contact and waving. Suki said something that Zuko couldn’t hear, but it made Toph laugh. Katara looked shocked. She leaned over and whispered something to Aang before making eye contact with Sokka and waving him over. Sokka’s grip on Zuko’s arm tightened. 

“Here, I’ll just drag you over. Keep your feet still,” Sokka murmured, something in his face changing. 

It took less than a second for Sokka to get them there, significantly more skilled in ice skating than Zuko could probably ever hoped to be. “What’s up guys?” Sokka asked with a smile, letting go of Zuko’s arm to fidget with his sweatshirt strings. Over the past few months, Zuko had begun to recognize when Sokka was faking his confidence. 

“Sokka, can I talk to you for a second?” Katara asked. Sokka’s face fell and he made quick eye contact with Zuko. 

“Yeah, of course,” he said, gracefully following his sister. Then it was just Aang, Suki, Zuko, and Toph facing each other in a group. Toph swung her legs from her chair, thankfully wearing shoes in the middle of winter. Suki was on her phone. Aang looked uncomfortable.

“Did Sokka and I miss something?” Zuko asked finally. They all looked at him. “What were you guys talking about?” 

“Oh, I just joked that you and Sokka were making out because Toph asked where you guys were,” Suki said nonchalantly, only briefly glancing up from her phone. That ephemeral look was enough for her face to scrunch up in confusion. The fact that Zuko had nearly gone into cardiac arrest must have been visible. “Is there something I should be concerned about?” His heart felt like it was going to burst. 

“Yeah, Zuko,” Toph added with a grin. He wished he could silently flip her off. 

“N-no, no. It’s all good, totally good,” Zuko stuttered, trying his best to sound sincere. He was sincere, just anxious. Anxious that the rest of his friends were about to learn of his fat crush on Sokka and they’d never speak to him again. 

“Zuko, if I didn’t know that you weren’t lying, I would totally think you were,” Toph said. Aang quirked an eyebrow at her. 

“How do you—” 

“Know that he’s not lying? Because I happen to also be Zuko’s best friend and if he and Sokka were secretly dating, then I know one of them would have let it slip by now.” Suki just looked between all of them for a moment. 

“What did Katara want with Sokka then? I figured it was just family stuff, but I feel like I’m missing something,” she asked Aang finally. Panic swept across Aang’s face. 

“Uh…” He made eye contact with Zuko as if he could help him. “Katara sort of asked me not to say anything.” There was a pause. “It’s a family matter!” He added hurriedly. His eyes flitted quickly between Zuko and Suki. If he weren’t in skates, he probably would have rocked back and forth on his heels a little. Suki looked as though she accepted the answer, but as she opened her mouth to speak, a dam broke loose within Aang. “I don’t like keeping secrets okay! Katara just asked me not to tell you guys because she felt like she should try to keep it between siblings, but okay.” He dropped his voice down to a whisper, “She thinks that Sokka might be bi or pan or something. So I think she just wanted to talk to him about it because of your comment Suki, but none of us know!” Zuko felt guilt shoot through him. “Plus, he seems to like you a lot—Oh! Hey, Katara!” 

“Aang, I thought I asked you not to tell them,” Katara scolded, standing about five feet away with her hands on her hips. Sokka was just behind her, face flushed and fingers fidgeting. 

“I’m really bad at keeping secrets,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. As Katara continued to tell Aang off for involving the rest of the group, Suki just stared at Sokka for a minute, who didn’t look up at any of them. 

“Sokka,” Suki interjected. “Is there something you want to tell us? I’m not going to force you to come out if you’re not ready, but I think I’d like to hear it from you rather than Aang.” She placed a hand on Aang’s shoulder. “No offense, Aang.” 

He shrugged. “None taken.” 

Sokka sighed. “No. Not here, at least.” And it was left at that.

* * *

As they shuffled off the ice and onto the foam walkway, Toph asked the all important question. “Guys, where are we going next?” 

“What do you mean?” Sokka asked with a smile, his arm around Suki’s shoulders. 

“We haven’t had a big group heart-to-heart session yet. It’s essential for every outing. Where are we going next?” They all exchanged glances and shrugged. 

“I can call my uncle and see if he’s okay with us just hanging out at the shop for a while.” 

“The shop?” Suki asked for clarification. 

“His uncle is Iroh, the guy that runs The Jasmine Dragon,” Sokka clarified. Suki stopped dead in her tracks and did a one-eighty to look at Zuko. 

“You’re Iroh’s nephew!” she said in shock. Zuko threw his hands in the air. 

“Why is that everyone’s first reaction? Do I need to talk to him about what he's saying about me?” Combined laughter filled the air. 

“No, no,” Katara said. “He always says good things. I think people are just surprised to meet the person behind such high praise.” The last time this had come up, she hadn’t been as reassuring. It was actually kind of… nice. This time he wasn’t anxious that she was trying to politely say that he was a fuck up. She was genuine and she meant well. Was this what progress felt like? Knowing that your friends liked you and cared about you no matter what? Sort of despite himself, he gave her a smile and she returned it. 

“Are we calling Iroh or not?” Toph inserted after a moment,  [ pursued by laughter. ](https://img1.etsystatic.com/107/1/12837373/il_340x270.1011051933_6xey.jpg)

“Do you guys all want to speak to him, otherwise I can just call him?” Zuko half asked. 

“I want to talk to Iroh,” Toph insisted. The rest of the group shrugged. “I’m trying to convince him to adopt me so I don’t have to go to that dumbass school over in Omashu.” Zuko just blinked, trying to imagine living with Toph in their apartment that had a grand total of four rooms. The rest of the group seemed to give her looks as well. Seeming as no one wanted to get into that further, Zuko elected to ignore it. 

Pulling out his phone, he mumbled, “I’m calling my uncle,” and put the call on speaker. 

“Is something wrong?” Iroh answered almost immediately. 

“Hi, Uncle, nothing’s wrong.” 

“Oh! Good, good,” he skipped a beat. “Why are you calling me, Nephew? Are you doing laundry again? It’s not even eight o’clock yet this time.” Uncle’s laughter echoed through the phone. Zuko regretted putting the call on speaker. A few chuckles escaped from his friends while Suki seemed desperately confused. 

“No,” he responded, rubbing his temple. “We were wondering if we’d be allowed to hang out at TheJasmine for a while.” 

“Of course!” Zuko could hear Uncle beaming through the phone. “I’ll be down in a few minutes to unlock the door for you!” Aang and Sokka grinned at each other. 

“Thanks, Iroh!” the two yelled in unison into the phone. Why did Zuko have friends? He could have just spent his entire high school career completely alone and left this all behind. But no. He chose to actually enjoy life for once and share it with others.  [ Fucking idiot. ](https://youtu.be/WU5e0eM6Beo?t=13)

Uncle Iroh boomed with laughter. “You’re welcome! And may I say, you’re more grateful than my own nephew, who I love dearly.” He sang the last part of the sentence. Before Zuko had a chance to fully process everything he had heard, Toph stole the phone from his hand. 

“Next matter of business, Iroh.”

“Toph,” Iroh said with an audible smile. 

“When are you going to adopt me? I’m almost entirely self-sufficient! Plus, I can work in the shop. I bet I’d be great at sweeping and baking cookies and shit,” Toph said. 

Iroh sighed. His tone was significantly less jovial than before. “Toph, we’ve talked about this. As much as I would love to help you out, I don’t have the money to—”

“Go to court against my parents, yeah, yeah, yeah. But what if I just run away from that school and come stay with you? I can be quiet if I have to! Nobody has to know!” Zuko felt awkward in this situation. As much as he would like Toph to stick around, he wasn’t sure he wanted to live with her and he also felt like he had to take his uncle’s side in this. 

There was only silence from the other line. Zuko could see Toph’s face fall and his heart broke for her. He knew what it was like, growing up in a home where your parents wanted you to be someone you weren’t. Gently, he took the phone and gave her hand a squeeze. His uncle spoke up. “Toph, if the opportunity arises that I can get you out of that school without any trouble financially, legally, or otherwise, I promise that I will. That sort of opportunity just hasn’t presented itself yet.” 

“Okay,” Toph said uncharacteristically quietly. “Thank you, Iroh.” Aang reached out and grabbed her other hand. 

“Of course, Toph.” There was a pause and Zuko wasn’t sure if he should speak up to end the conversation or not. “Well, I’ll see you all in a few minutes!” 

“Yeah, see you in a few, Uncle,” Zuko mumbled, moving to hang up his phone. 

“I love you, Zuko.” Zuko felt his cheeks flush for the millionth time that night. No one snickered. 

“Love you too, Uncle.” 

* * *

“What the—Uncle,  [ what are  _ those _ ?” ](https://youtu.be/2NL2lRwlDbw) Zuko asked angrily, motioning to the abominations. They’d been outside of The Jasmine Dragon for only a few minutes, but the cold was still eating at Zuko, making him a little irritable. 

“They’re my  [ crocs,” ](https://www.crocs.com/p/classic-lined-clog/203591.html?cgid=fuzz-collection&cid=6RO#start=8) Uncle responded, sounding confused and a little hurt. Sokka burst out laughing, unable to hold back any longer. Suki elbowed him in the ribs, feigning anger but also chuckling. At this point, Zuko kind of expected Sokka to wear crocs with socks in all kinds of weather. But, unfortunately, Sokka was rubbing off on his uncle.

“Yes, but why fur-lined?” he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“They’re for winter, Nephew! You should have comfortable footwear all throughout the year. They’re warm, water-proof, and best of all, easy to put on!” Maybe it wasn’t too late to cancel his fall college plans and pack up everything he owned and leave the state. 

Aang and Katara joined in on the snickering. Toph just stood there. “Can someone explain to me what’s happening?” 

“Well, basically, crocs are just these rubber shoes and are the ugliest shoes you could ever own. No offense, sir,” Suki said sincerely. 

“None taken. The ugliness is part of the appeal,” Iroh said warmly, unlocking the front door. 

“Yeah, and so Zuko’s uncle owns a pair of bright red ones and they have fake fur in them. Normally, you only wear crocs in warm weather or like to the beach. Zuko’s frustrated because winter crocs, honestly, shouldn’t exist. Again, no offense, sir.” 

Toph nodded. “Yeah, most of that still doesn’t make sense, but I’ll take your word for it.” The group laughed a bit at that, entering the building as Iroh held the door. 

“Will you all be okay on your own or would you like me to stay and make tea for you?” Zuko rubbed his hands over his eyes.  _ Why is my uncle trying to make himself a part of my friend group? _ He thought, turning to his uncle with a forced smile. 

“I think we’ll be okay, Uncle.”

“Are you sure? I think I have a bit extra of the jasmine blend that I wouldn’t mind making real quick to warm you back up.” 

“I’ll take hot chocolate if you have any,” Aang offered, obviously trying to be polite. Iroh just folded his hands and made eye contact with Zuko with  [ a pained smile. ](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3shCdut9Y7c/hqdefault.jpg)

“Maybe I should just make my way home, shouldn’t I?” Uncle stated after a moment. Zuko bit his tongue. 

“Yeah,” he said, chuckling only a little. “I can lock up the shop once we’re done.” Uncle gave him a smile, fishing the keys out of his pocket and dropping them in Zuko’s hand. 

“Don’t smoke weed in here. It’s awful trying to get that smell out,” Uncle said as he headed for the door. Zuko gave him  [ a confused hand ](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/575/422/e69.jpg) and scrunched up his nose. “If you drink, call me and I’ll drive you all home,” he added while standing in the doorway. As if they had access to weed or alcohol while at The Jasmine Dragon.

“Thanks, Uncle. I’ll see you at home,” Zuko grumbled, hoping he’d get the message. 

“I’ll leave the light on for you… I love you, Zuko.” 

“Love you too, Uncle,” he mumbled back, shoving his hands into his pockets and wanting to implode. As the door closed, he turned towards his friends, feeling only mildly embarrassed. 

“Did I say something wrong?” Aang asked, sitting himself down into one of the booths. 

Zuko shook his head. “No. My uncle believes that tea heals all ailments and he sort of refuses to make anything else.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s like those anti-vaxx moms that think essential oils heal polio.” The comment earned him a laugh from the group.

“It’s sweet to see how much he cares about you,” Suki commented warmly. Zuko just shrugged. 

“Yeah, he’s sort of been like that my whole life. I think he’s gotten more conspicuous with it over the years.” It occurred to him that Sokka was the only one who fully understood the history of that statement. Everyone, minus Suki, knew about how he got his scar; however, Sokka was the only one that knew about his cousin. He was the only one Zuko had told about how his uncle viewed him as a son and that’s why he was so involved in his life. 

“It’s still sweet,” Katara commented with a shrug. Aang draped his arm over her shoulders and she leaned into the touch. Zuko couldn’t help but imagine himself doing that to Sokka. It was so casual and comfortable and he wanted that. He supposed that he could platonically put his arm around Sokka’s shoulders, but part of him wanted the romantic context. He wanted Sokka to lean into his side and share his space with him. He wanted Sokka to kiss his cheek the way he kissed Suki’s. He wanted Sokka romantically. 

His stomach ached as he sat next to Toph in one of the dining chairs. Acknowledging his presence, she lovingly punched him in the shoulder. He just flinched, chuckled, and rubbed the sore spot. It was quiet among them for a moment. Aang and Katara sitting on one side of a booth, Sokka and Suki on the other, Zuko and Toph at the end of the table in chairs. Zuko tried not to stare at the way Sokka held Suki’s hand under the table. 

“So…” Aang said eventually, drawing out the vowel. 

“Do you guys want me to make you some tea? It’s on the house,” Zuko offered, trying to fill the silence. 

“No, it’s alright, Zuko,” Katara said. The rest agreed that it was okay and they did not want tea. Toph fiddled with the zipper on her jacket. Suki looked at her phone. Sokka chewed his bottom lip. Aang looked around the kitschy dining area. Katara took a deep breath, breaking the silence that had settled in again, and said, “Sokka, I don’t want to put you in an uncomfortable position, but I feel like there’s something you should share with us.” Sokka let go of Suki’s hand and sat up straighter. Aang moved his arm off of Katara’s shoulders so he could rest a hand on her arm. 

“Baby, I don’t think you should try to force this,” he suggested. 

“I’m not forcing anything,” she retorted. 

“You sort of are,” Toph added. 

“I am not! Sokka already told me that he’d talk to us about it later and I’m just giving him the opportunity to do that.” She gave him a firm look, making him gulp. 

“Katara,” Aang tried again, turning himself in hopes that she’d look over at him. 

“Aang, just give him a chance to—” 

“Katara, I’m pan,” Aang interrupted, causing her to stop and look over at him. 

“What?” 

“I’m pansexual,” Aang said with a shrug. 

“Are you serious or are you trying to cover for me?” Sokka asked, not seeming that confused about the situation. 

“No, I’m serious. I’m pansexual and if you guys feel like that’s something you should know, then there it is. I’m pan.” His tone wasn’t defensive, just very matter-of-fact. Katara looked more shocked than angry.

Toph shrugged. “Yeah, I could have probably guessed that one.” 

“Just like how everyone probably could’ve guessed we were gay,” Zuko mumbled to Toph before he could really stop himself. She hit his shoulder again with a laugh. 

“I don’t think we were that obvious.” She paused. “Well, maybe you were, but I wasn’t.” 

“What does that mean?” Zuko asked. Toph didn’t get a chance to answer. 

“Well, if I’m going to be hanging out with you guys more, I guess you should know I’m bi,” Suki said. If she was nervous about the statement, she didn’t show it. Toph smiled and leaned into the table.

“Suki, where are you? I need a high five,” she demanded, holding up her hand. Suki just chuckled and obliged. “Fuck yeah.” 

Sokka just sighed. “I guess it’s my turn. I’m bi,” he admitted, looking at Zuko quickly before returning his gaze to his sister. Katara looked a little baffled.

“I’m sorry, I’m not homophobic. I’m really, really happy that we all feel comfortable enough with each other that you’ve all come out. I just—I,” she sighed. “I’m trying to figure out how I’m the only straight one here.” 

Aang shrugged and said, “Birds of a feather.” 

At the same time, Toph mumbled, “You’re probably not straight.” Katara just  [ blinked ](https://media.giphy.com/media/I2QQlj7vgtT6U/giphy.gif) at her for a moment. 

“Toph, what did you say?” 

Toph shrugged, smirking slightly. “Statistically, you’re probably not straight.” Given the look on her face, Katara did not know how to respond to that comment, bewilderment plastered across her face. Aang just patted her shoulder with a smile while the rest of them couldn’t help but chuckle a little at her expense. 

* * *

“Okay, Suki, you’re new here, so I feel like you should know that we’ve all been traumatized,” Toph put bluntly. The rest of the group shot her a look, before remembering that she couldn’t take visual social cues. “For example, I come from a rich family who will forever see me as a five-year-old due to my blindness and are sending me off to a school for the blind because they can’t accept that I want to be independent.” Suki looked a bit taken aback by how forthright she was. 

“I’m… sorry,” she said after a moment. Toph shrugged. 

“Don’t be.” There was a moment of quiet. Toph rolled her head to the side, cracking some of the joints in her neck. “Alright, who’s next?” No one volunteered. “C’mon, guys. Dr. Minami would be so proud of us for being open and honest with each other outside of group.” 

“Who’s Dr. Minami?” Suki asked, glancing over at Sokka.

“She is the psychologist who runs the group therapy that all five of us attend,” Toph answered, while sitting up. Suki shot Sokka a look before giving a hum of acknowledgement to Toph. Sokka gave her a nervous smile back. Aang shrugged. 

“It doesn’t really matter, but I was abandoned as a baby, which I guess is my biggest trauma,” he shared, his head against Katara’s shoulder. “I go to therapy because I have anxiety and just moved here a few months ago.” 

“Really?” Suki asked. “I would have guessed that you guys have been friends for years.” Sokka laughed a little. Zuko felt his organs turn to mush at the sound. Fuck feelings. 

“Considering most of us didn’t know that the others were gay before tonight, should tell you that we haven’t been friends for that long,” Sokka said, leaning his back against the wall. 

“Huh,” Suki said. “Most of my friends from the team are gay. Like, that was the first thing I learned about most of them and we all bonded over it. It’s weird to think that you guys have been friends for how long and it’s just coming up now.” 

Sokka shrugged, getting slightly defensive. “I mean, we learned Zuko was gay almost right off the bat, and he’s known I’m—” Sokka stopped suddenly, catching himself. “Oops,” he mumbled as Katara’s head whipped towards Zuko. 

“You knew?” she practically shouted. 

“He asked me not to tell,” he said quickly, putting his hands up. 

She turned back towards Sokka. “You told  _ Zuko _ before you told _ me?! _ And you told him not to tell me!” Sokka just gave her an uncomfortable smile and a nod. Katara harrumphed, folding her arms and sitting further back into the booth. 

“I just wasn’t ready for anyone to know,” Sokka said after a moment, fiddling with the strings of his hoodie. “It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you. It was just easier to tell him since he didn’t know me as well.” Katara looked at him, not with anger, but with a weird sort of acceptance. 

“Did Zuko know about your tattoo before me?” 

Sokka scrunched up his eyebrows. “Maybe?” He looked over to Zuko for the answer. Not wanting to cause any more drama between the siblings, he shrugged. 

Katara sighed. “Can we just play a card game or something now? I just wanted to have fun with my friends tonight.” A wide grin spread across Toph’s face. 

“Anyone want to play  [ Cards Against Humanity?” ](https://www.instagram.com/p/CC9AoWOpCTa/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet)

* * *

Zuko was far too tired to deal with the bullshit of a Saturday morning rush. So many young families came through wanting tea before going to their holiday-related activities. So many children wanted tea, not realizing that leaf juice could be an acquired taste and then crying because it wasn’t sweet. His friends had kept him up far too late the night before. Was it worth it? Yes. He had laughed so hard he actually cried more than once. Did it feel worth it now? No. 

“I asked for light sweetener in this,” a woman bitched at him. “And it tastes like it has normal.” 

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said, taking the half-drank to-go cup back from her and looking at the abbreviations on the side. He’d recognized her and knew she did this every time. He was only looking to confirm what he already knew: he’d marked her cup to have  _ no _ sweetener in it. He smiled at her. “My mistake. Would you like us to remake this for you?” 

“Obviously,” she said, folding her arms. 

“Okay, that should be ready for you again in five minutes,” he said, plugging the order back into the cash register, still holding the cup. 

“Can I have my cup back?” she asked. He looked at her, pretending he didn’t understand. 

“I’m going to remake this for you.”

“I want a new one, but I want to keep drinking that one.” He tried not to roll his eyes.

“But I thought you didn’t like how sweet this one was?” 

“I don’t but I want to drink it while I wait.” Sometimes he felt like he should just find a different place to work during the weekends. Dealing with people got on his nerves at times. 

“Sorry, but I can’t remake the drink unless I dispose of the original.” He knew that she was just trying to get a second drink for free, but he couldn’t just outright say that to her. She rolled her eyes and snatched the cup back from him. 

“Whatever, I’ll just take this.” He cancelled the order on the register. 

“Okay, have a nice day, ma’am,” he said with a strained smile. She rolled her eyes and turned to leave. He felt a bit of relief. She was the last one in line and he was ready for a break, no matter how momentary it was. He turned so his back rested against the counter and he could see into the kitchen. Uncle was making tea, humming to himself. Zuko was glad that he’d gotten something that made him so happy. 

The front door chimed and he was ripped from the moment. A familiar face entered. Zuko felt himself genuinely smile.  [ “Sokka!” ](https://youtu.be/NkC5TxnhQuk)

Sokka gave him a quick smile, glancing at the other patrons in the dining area. His hands were shoved in the pocket of his hoodie. There were strands of hair falling into his eyes and caught in his hair-tie. Zuko didn’t have to ask to know there was something wrong. 

“Can we talk?” Sokka whispered when he reached the counter. Zuko just nodded and opened the gate for him so that he could come back into the kitchen. Uncle noticed their entrance and just gave them both a smile. 

“I’ll go run the cash register,” he said with a hum, patting Zuko on the shoulder on the way out. Sokka shifted on his feet and didn’t look up at him. 

The door to the kitchen closing gently, Zuko asked, “What do you want to talk about?” Sokka just sighed, finally making eye contact. It was quick, his palms covering his eyes just seconds after. All Zuko wanted was to pull him into a hug. Instead he reached up and quickly squeezed Sokka’s forearm. A dry laugh escaped his mouth and he lowered his hands. 

“So Suki broke up with me,” Sokka said bluntly.

“What?” That was not what Zuko had anticipated hearing that morning. 

“Yup,” he said, drawing out the vowel and popping the “p.” Sokka just stared at his feet for a moment, playing with his hoodie strings. Another laugh. “She said that last night made her realize that she likes me more like a friend than a boyfriend. She doesn’t think she actually wants to be in a relationship through high school, but agreed to date me because she liked me… platonically.” He laughed dryly, feigning humor. “I think Toph scared her off.”

“Oh, shit, dude,” Zuko said, stepping forward slightly. Sokka looked up at him and he felt his heart break. He’d only seen Sokka cry once before and it was the last time he’d spoken about Yue. Zuko felt himself say something but it didn’t feel like it came from him. His brain was too preoccupied with trying to get Sokka to stop crying. Should he hug him? Squeeze his head? Was he supposed to say something? He felt so fucking useless. 

Sokka, thankfully, wasn’t afraid to actually ask for things he needed. He mumbled, “You’re so fucking dumb,” pulling Zuko into a hug. Part of Zuko would have been offended that Sokka called him dumb if he wasn’t so relieved that Sokka had ended his momentary panic. He felt Sokka nuzzle his collar bone.  _ Is this still platonic? _ he wondered, not going to ask the question aloud. Toph  _ had _ told him to talk to Sokka about whether he  _ only _ liked him as a friend. Zuko just couldn’t believe it. Why would  _ Sokka _ of all people like him back? Sokka who apparently everyone and their mom had a crush on. Sokka who had unprompted told him that he was his best friend. Sokka who currently had his arms wrapped around Zuko’s waist and his face buried into his neck. 

He was just touchy, right? 

Sokka pulled back after a moment, looking up into Zuko’s eyes. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for or if he found it. All he knew was that Sokka stepped back and let out a humorless laugh, weaving his fingers into his hair. Zuko got the feeling that maybe he should be concerned about the mental state that Sokka was in. He was really used to being the one that was mentally unstable and wasn’t sure what to do now that he wasn’t. Briefly, he glanced up towards his Uncle who was talking to some lady over the counter.  _ What would Uncle do if this were me? _

So, Zuko grabbed Sokka’s hand and gave it a squeeze. This was either the very wrong or very right thing to do because Sokka cried. It wasn’t just a silent-tears-streaming-down-his-face cry either. Sokka literally choked on a sob. 

“I’m sorry this was dumb I’m just gonna—” Sokka yanked his hand out of Zuko’s grip, shoving open the door,  [ sliding ](http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2794433/Prince_slide4_6-14-13.gif) under the gate, and running out of the restaurant. So it went well. 

He didn’t remember leaving the kitchen, but Zuko found himself at his uncle’s side, his brain trying to process the words, “Go. I’ll be okay alone.” He just nodded, taking off his apron and following Sokka outside onto the snow covered streets. Thankfully, Sokka was less than a block away, fumbling with his keys, dropping them, cursing, and still crying. It was only good because Zuko was in a short-sleeve t-shirt and converse, entirely unprepared for winter weather. 

“Sokka, what the fuck?” Zuko sort of yelled as he made his way over. Sokka looked up and groaned. 

“Dude, I’m having a bit of a personal crisis. Can we just pretend that I didn’t just make a fool of myself so I can have it in peace?” Yeah, Zuko was right to assume that there was something incredibly wrong with Sokka. 

“No,” Zuko found himself saying, knowing that it didn’t suffice. “You literally just ran out of there crying over someone you dated for two months and ended on what sounds like friendly terms with. She didn’t say that she hates you, just that she sees you as more of a friend than a love interest. What’s up?” Sokka just stared at him for a moment, his mouth opening and shutting a few times as if he wanted to say something, he just wasn’t sure what. Finally, he bent down, digging his keys out of a snowbank. 

“This isn’t a conversation that I want to have in the middle of the sidewalk,” Sokka said finally. “Get in the car.” 

“Sokka, I still have to work the rest of the day. I can’t leave Uncle all—” 

“We’re not going anywhere, I just don’t want to go back inside and you’ll get hypothermia otherwise.” Zuko elected to ignore the “fucking dumbass” mumbled at the end of the statement. Obliging his best friend, he got into the car and turned to face Sokka, who kept his eyes forward and his hands on the wheel. Zuko was partially surprised that his tears hadn’t frozen to his face. 

“I guess you probably already know,” Sokka said with a sigh, not even glancing at Zuko. 

“Know what?” Sokka sucked in a breath and held it. 

“Please, don’t make me say it.” 

“Say what?” Zuko asked, genuinely confused and not wanting to guess wrongly. Sokka looked over at him, almost exasperated. Maybe he should go with his least likely guess. “Is Suki pregnant or something?” Sokka’s face scrunched up and he actually let out a chuckle.

“What? No. Dude, I would have told you right off the bat if that was the case. I just—” Sokka groaned. “Toph said she told you already.” Zuko’s heart skipped a beat. Was that what this was about? Could Sokka actually like him romantically? 

“All Toph’s told me is that we should talk about… some stuff,” he said, cringing at his lack of better phrasing. 

“Oh fuck, you’re really not going to say it are you?” Sokka asked rhetorically, running a hand over his face. “Zuko, another reason why Suki broke up with me is that she felt like I had a crush on you. And you know what? She was right.” He threw his hands up into the air. Zuko’s heart had leapt into his throat and he was reeling a bit from the revelation. His brain couldn’t accept the fact that Sokka may actually be interested in him. That wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Sokka was going to forever be his best friend who didn’t like him romantically and was just really touchy and would stare at him and blush and… oh, shit. Zuko wasn’t sure what face he made, but it was not communicating his thoughts right. 

“I totally misunderstood something, didn’t I? Did Toph really not tell you this? Oh, shit, oh, fuck, Zuko. I’m really really sorry man I’m sure making a mess of everything today and I just thought—” 

“Sokka.”

“—that you felt the same way because Toph made it sound that way and—” 

“Sokka, shut up,” Zuko said, a bit louder than he intended. Sokka’s mouth clamped shut, fearful anticipation filling his eyes. “Can you just give me a minute to process what you just said to me before panicking? I didn’t even say anything.” 

“You just looked so shocked that I assumed it was because you didn’t like me back!” 

“I looked shocked because my best friend who I’ve had a crush on since October just told me he got broken up with and he has a crush on me too!” Sokka blinked. 

“October?” 

“Yes, October, why does it matter?” 

“It doesn’t, it’s just—I—” He let out a breath, shifting in his seat a little. “You really helped me ask a girl out while having a crush on me and you didn’t say anything?” 

“Yeah, you weren’t out yet.” Sokka just laughed. Zuko’s stomach felt like it melted. There was a moment of silence between them. It wasn’t tense, but there was a mutual anticipation. 

“What now?” Sokka asked, looking Zuko in the eye. 

“What do you mean?” Zuko clarified like a dumbass. 

“Are—are we going to be a thing now or where are we going with this?” 

Zuko shifted his gaze to the side view mirror, looking back at the sign for The Jasmine Dragon. Biting his lip, he took a deep breath through his nose. “I don’t know.” Sokka visibly deflated. “The girl I dated for a year broke up with me less than a month ago. You just got broken up with today.” Sokka furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Do you not like me and you’re just trying to let me down easy.” 

“No! I’m saying that I don’t want this to be a rebound for either of us.” Sokka nodded. 

“So you just want to be friends then?” he asked after a moment, his eyes watering. 

“For now. Ask me again in three months.” 

“Why three?” Zuko shrugged. Sokka laughed. If he could hear that laugh every day of his life, Zuko would cut off his left thumb. 

“If you come back inside, I can get you free tea and some cookies. Uncle says they cure all ailments.” Sokka smiled at him.

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I promise they'll actually get together in the next one!! I think I'm going to write one more work for this series and that will be it. the last one will probably be pretty long like the first part was (though I'm not 100% sure yet).  
> also, don't worry Suki is going to be a permanent part of the friend group from now on!! I know a few people had commented on the first one asking where she was  
> once again, thank you for reading!! please leave a comment and kudos if you enjoyed this! I like hearing from you guys!! :)


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